Republic of the Philippines SORSOGON STATE UNIVERSITY ADVANCED EDUCATION Sorsogon City Name Date Course Journal No : : : : ELJOYMAE B. CREBILLO September 9, 2021 MaEd- English 1 Topic : Educational Innovation _______________________________________________________ I. Discussion Educational innovation is simply a change in approach, methodology and/or style in teaching to ensure an effective learning experience. Innovations like any other changes are not just created instantly. Some innovations may be a product of a conflict that the school recently faced. Other changes in the system come from suggestions of students and/or parents from conducted dialogues with them and the faculty. There are also changes that are rooted from results of class assessments which made the teacher rethink ways to better engage students in their respective classes. Times are changing and so are the phenomena that factors in the mindset of children when it comes to learning. This is why there is a need for teachers and professors to constantly innovate their teaching methodology. A good example for this is how teaching changed during the COVID19 pandemic. Given the nature of infection of COVID which is mainly reliant on close contacts, schools were forced to temporarily shift to virtual classes through teleconferencing apps. From chalkboards, teachers now use padlet, Menti, Zoom features such as reactions, chats and polls for recitation and interactive discussions. Class records aside from that stored in school file libraries, are now mainly reliant on apps like Edmodo, Google Classroom, Discord and Facebook group pages and chats. In order to be an effective teacher, one must know their students well and from there identify how these children can be taught effectively. That can only be done through constant dialogues and observation with all concerned parties, most especially the students. II. Insights For me, innovations are essential to ensure a healthy and productive learning environment for the students. Every generation is different. Circumstances that shape each child are unique. This is why constant innovation on teaching approaches should keep up with the demands of the times. The first thing teachers must always keep up to is technology. Every now and then, apps and gadgets are invented to help us do tasks easier. Our struggles today might no longer pose an inconvenience tomorrow. This is why schools and teachers must be up to date with the latest technology to see what they can use to make teaching effective and engaging. The next thing teachers must know is their students. They must know them not just by name, but also their characters and backgrounds. Who will need more patience and attention? Who needs to be disciplined? Who is the smartest? Who can be a potential point person in class? Who needs some financial help to continue school? These are the questions they need to answer to really know their students and what they need to truly excel at school. III. Conclusion: Schools can be quite stressful for children especially those who already have major problems at their own homes. This is why teachers need to innovate and let go of traditional and toxic education method. Innovations will allow the schools not only to be a fun place to learn but also a safe haven for students where they know they can learn and express themselves without fear of judgment or abuse.